


Alpha and Omega

by thenoodlesaresalty



Series: Ad Paradisum [1]
Category: Fallout 3
Genre: Alcohol, Canon Autistic Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Drugs, Fix-It of Sorts, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Hallucinations, Human Experimentation, Injury, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Near Death Experiences, Physical Disability, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Sacrifice, Science Experiments, Slavery, Smoking, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29158461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenoodlesaresalty/pseuds/thenoodlesaresalty
Summary: In the ruins of Washington D.C., walks a not-so-lone wanderer
Series: Ad Paradisum [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2160060
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

**July 13, 2258**

Amongst the unintelligible chatter, a small baby wails and cries, finally out after a near day of pushing. The mother, out of breath and in a whirlwind of pain, giggles. A scientist, wearing all kinds of protective equipment, helps clean up the mess on the table, mumbling under her breath. She makes sure to check the mother's and baby’s vitals. The father leans over from his wife’s side, almost brought to tears over the life they had brought into this world.

He looks over to the scientist, asking, “Is it a girl or boy, Madison?”

“A girl,” she says in a stern tone.

“A girl! It’s a girl, Catherine!” Tears fall from his tired eyes. “A healthy baby girl.”

The mother smiles, clutching her husband’s hand as tight as she can. “Oh… oh, James, we did it,” She laughs again, her breathing raspy. “A daughter. A beautiful… daughter.”

James moves over to look at his child, now bundled up and smiling. He reaches down and sticks out his finger, which the baby lightly grabs. “You have a bright future ahead of you. I’m sure of it,” Carefully, he picks up the child, showing him off to Catherine, who smiles with delight. The baby giggles. “Look at you, so precious. You’re going to need a name… Catherine?”

“Cassandra… oh, I’ve always loved that name.”

“I love it too,” He wiggles his fingers in front of the baby’s face. “Hello, little one! Hello! I’m your daddy! And this,” He shows him off again. “is your mommy, isn’t she lovely?” Catherine rolls her eyes and laughs weakly. James looks off at all the medical equipment and scientists. His aged eyes close softly, and he sighs. “It’s a big world out there, full of all sorts of people. You’ll have a wonderful life, I’ll be sure of it. Now, let’s-”

“James?” The heart monitor beeps rapidly, and Catherine panics. “James? Something’s… something’s-” The monitor flat lines, and all the scientists rush to her side.

“Catherine! She’s in cardiac arrest!” He places the baby in Madison’s arms. “Madison, get the baby out of here! Now!” Madison rushes out, the baby crying and wailing. “Start the compressions! Come on, Catherine, please!” James yells from inside the room. The flatline continues.

*******

**July 13, 2259**

James, now in a lab coat and vault suit, claps and motions towards himself and the playpen. “Come on, come to daddy!” The baby giggles and falls on his back. “You can do it, sweetie!” Cas sits up, spitting all over himself, and struggles to stand. Once he does, he wobbles around and places one foot in front of the other. James smiles widely. “That’s it! Come on, you got it!” After an eternity, Cas ends up in his father’s arms. James laughs and swoops the baby up, cradling him in his arms. “There we go! That’s the Nole spirit; a year old and you can walk like a pro!” He sighs and holds Cas a bit tighter. “She would be so proud,” Suddenly, James shakes his head and checks his watch. Placing Cas on the ground, he walks outside the playpen. Cas babbles and tries to follow, but James closes the gate. “I’m sorry, kiddo, I know you don’t like it when I leave. Daddy has some important work to do,” He walks towards the door and stands in the doorway. “I’ll be right back. I love you.”

The door shuts. Cas plops down, babbling to himself as he looks around his surroundings. Getting up again, he makes his way to the playpen gate. With a hilarious angry face, he pushes it open. He falls back down onto his hands and knees, crawling over to the toy box in the far-off corner. The journey is tough, and it tests Cas’ limits and pushes him past his breaking point. When he reaches the toy box, his first instinct is to grab the teddy bear poking out of it. He giggles and hugs it tight. The teddy bear has definitely seen better days; its fur is ragged, and one of its eyes is missing, but Cas still loves it. His baby eyes get caught on the small book laying on the ground. He can’t read, but it says, ‘You’re S.P.E.C.I.A.L.!’ He sticks the book into his mouth, trying to gum it down.

James walks back into the room, but immediately stops when he sees the playpen open. Looking to his right, he spots Cas, who also spots him. Cas raises his arms and makes a loud baby noise. James shakes his head and smiles. Laughing, he scoops the baby once more. “Quite the explorer, aren’t you? Serves me right for trying to pen you in!” Cas grabs James’ face with his small baby hands, which makes him smile more. Sitting down, James places Cas in his lap. He reaches over and grabs the framed verse that sits on the table beside them. “Do you see this? It was your mother’s favorite passage. Revelation 21:6,” James holds Cas close to him, holding his baby hand in his. “‘I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely’,” Tears form in his eyes, but he wipes them away. “She always loved it,” Shaking his head, he stands up, holding Cas in his arms. “Come on, let’s see if Amata wants to play,” Cas babbles happily as the two leave the room.

*******

**July 13, 2268**

A bright light flashes, and Casper quickly shuts his eyes. Covering his head, he braces for the worst. But after it fades, all he sees are balloons and streamers. “Surprise!” Everyone yells.

“Stanley, you turned the lights on too fast! Nearly blinded the poor kid!”

Casper looks around, everyone in the vault was here! Even the Overseer! Casper flaps his hands, smiling and giggling hard. James places his hand on his shoulder and chuckles. “Happy birthday, son!”

An older woman turns around in her seat. “Can you believe it? Ten already!” She pinches Casper’s cheek. “I remember when you would visit me as a baby! Such a sweet young la- man.”

James ruffles Casper’s bright orange hair. “I’m so proud of you. Soon, you’ll be just like your old man,” James sighs, wiping the tears from his eyes. Casper notices and tries to reach up, but James stops him. “Sorry, just… nothing, I’m so very proud of you!”

The Overseer walks up, cocking an eyebrow. “Well, ten already? I’m sure I don’t have to remind you how special this day is?” Casper shakes his head, picking at the skin around his fingernails. “Here in Vault 101, when you turn ten, it’s time for you to take on your first vault responsibilities,” He snaps and a security guard walks up, holding a large bracelet-like thing. “So here you are, your very own Pip-Boy 3000! Get used to it,” The Overseer takes it from the guard and helps Casper snap it onto his arm. Casper, in absolute awe, stares at the screen. It lists all his vitals on the device, and his dad seems excited as well. Before he takes off, the Overseer says one more thing, “You’ll get your first work assignment tomorrow, Nole!” He gives out a raspy laugh and exits the party.

James pats Casper’s back. “You should go enjoy your party, I have some… business to attend to real quick,” He awkwardly sneaks out, walking fast down the hallway.

Casper furrows his eyebrows but shrugs it off. Amata runs up to him, holding something behind her back. “Cas! Happy birthday!” Turning around quickly, Casper smiles wide, constantly scrunching up his fingers. Amata giggles, still hiding the item behind her. “Really surprised you, huh?”

“Yeah! But this is cool! How’d you all do it?”

“You were busy with your nose in those books,” Amata laughs as Casper rubs his neck. “Anyway, ready for your present?” He nods his head rapidly, snapping his fingers. She pulls her arms out from behind her and shows off the nearly perfect comic book. Casper gasps and snatches it, jumping up and down. “Like it, huh?”

“So great! Thanks, Amata!” He jumps forward and hugs her tight.

She laughs loudly, patting his back. “No problem, Cas!” As she hugs her friend, a couple of obnoxious snickers come from a booth. She looks over to see Butch, the local vault bully, laughing to his friends as they watch her and Casper. She pulls away and marches over to Butch, Casper following close behind. “What’s so funny, Butch?”

“Oh, nothing,  _ princess _ ! Why don’t you go back to your little  _ girlfriend _ ?”

Amata scrunches up her face and punches him square in the face. Butch falls to the ground, wiping his bloody nose. He grunts and stands back up, ready to punch her back. A security officer jumps into the middle, holding Butch back. “Don’t make me send you to your room, Deloria,” he threatens with a stern voice. Butch huffs and backs off, rubbing his nose. Stomping out, he mumbles profanities under his breath, his two friends following suite.

Amata glances back to Casper, whose face is completely red and burning. She takes his hand, which is now sweating. “Come on! Let’s get some cake!” Right before the two can indulge in sweet desserts, James comes back into the room.

“Casper!” he calls out. He motions towards the hallway, smiling wide and barely containing his excitement. “Come on, your surprise is ready!” Casper looks to Amata and furrows his eyebrows. She nods and smiles, letting him run off with his father.

Casper walks side-by-side with his dad, clutching his hand tight. “Are you ready? I think you’re going to love it!” Casper nods rapidly and smiles. 

As the two walk, Casper overhears talking. It sounds like the Overseer. He turns his head to see the Overseer talking with a security guard. “How was the party? Shame I missed it.”

“Bah, I only came because Amata’s friends with the brat. Damn Noles are a nuisance.”

“At least we have a human doctor now.”

“The only good thing that’s come from them,” Casper slouches over, feeling his chest tighten

Their pace quickens as they head down the stairs. Separating from his dad, Casper sprints down the stairs, nearly tripping and falling down. “Slow down, son!” James catches up. “We don’t want a fracture on your birthday,”

At the bottom of the stairs, Jonas, one of James’ close friends, smiles wide and ruffles Casper’s hair. “Hey! It’s the birthday kid! Happy birthday, Cas!”

Casper grins, his missing front tooth causing Jonas to laugh. “Hiya, Jonas!”

James walks over to Jonas, wrapping his arm around his neck gently. “Everything ready?”

“Just about!” Jonas shuffles around some boxes and pulls out a BB gun, and he hands it to Casper. Casper stares at it with wide eyes and a toothy smile. “Neat, huh? Your pop came up with the whole idea.”

James gives out a hearty laugh, slightly patting Jonas’ shoulder. “It was a collaborative effort. Now, c’mon, let’s test it out!” The two lead Casper further into the reactor, Casper holding his BB gun right over his chest. 

A little storage room greets them, and there are makeshift targets behind a few crates. Casper’s eyes sparkle. James stands next to him, extending his arm outward and pointing to the small targets. “See those targets?” Casper nods. “Good! Just lift you gun-” Struggling a bit, Casper raises the rifle. “And shoot!” With a pull of the trigger, Casper fires, hitting on the targets. James howls with laughter. “Incredible work, son!” While James helps Casper reload the rifle, a radroach scurries into the target range, causing James to grunt. He raises his eyebrows and taps Casper’s shoulder. “Hey, Casper,” The small child looks up from the ground. “Think you can get that radroach? Just do what you did before,” He backs up, allowing Casper to have enough room to himself. As he raises the gun, he feels his wrist with the Pip-Boy tingle. An electrical signal travels from his wrist to his eyes. The world grows green, and he selects a target. In an instant, he fires, killing the radroach. Shaking his head, he is released from his strange trance. 

He smiles widely, jumping up and down. “I did it! I did it!” he shouts, nearly firing the gun again.

James claps, sighing happily. “Amazing job, Cas!”

Jonas, holding a camera, laughs as well. “Hey, James, let’s get a picture. Savor the moment.”

“Ah, yes! Alright, Casper, just hold your gun up and say cheese!”

“Cheese!”

*******

**August 12, 2274**

“C’mon, dad!” Casper groaned, adjusting his binder and moving a thermometer sticking out from his mouth. “I’m sick! How am I s’pposed to take the GOAT?”

James takes the thermometer out. Glancing at the results, he raises his eyebrows and pats Casper on the back. “You’re fine, Casper,” James packs up his medical supplies and places his glasses on the table. “Come on, now, get dressed, you don’t want to be late.”

Casper groans and rapidly points to his arm. “Yeah, but I fractured my elbow!”

“You’re bending it right now.” Casper raises his eyes and huffs, shoving his hand down onto the bed. Sighing, James walks over to him, handing him his clothes. “You’re going to do great,” he assures with a smile. 

Casper quickly puts the jumpsuit on. “But… what if I don’t get to be like you?”

“Oh, Casper,” He ruffles his son’s orange hair. “Even if you don’t get what you want, you’ll still be the amazing kid you are,” Casper smiles, ruffling his hair more. James takes off his lab coat and places it on the chair in front of the terminal. “Now run along. You’ll never hear the end of it from Mr. Brotch.”

Casper nods, still feeling a lump in his throat. He gets up but stands in the doorway, looking back at his father as he works. Sighing, Casper makes his way down the hall. The hallways were incredibly quiet. The only thing you can hear are the distant conversations from across the vault. Casper didn’t mind it too much. It was nice to have some peace in his mind to discuss anything he wanted. 

As he turns a corner, he spots Butch and his little gang. Rolling his eyes, he simply walks passed them before spotting Amata. She looks uncomfortable. He walks over, Butch immediately noticing him. “Well, look who it is! Mr. Scaredy-Pants! Why don’t you just run back to your daddy?”

Amata stomps her foot. “Leave him alone, Butch!”

“Or what? You’re gonna tell  _ yours _ ?”

Casper looks all around. He comes up with an idea, subtly shaking his hands. “You better stop, Butch. Do you  _ seriously  _ want the Overseer to have a talk with you?”

Butch cocks an eyebrow. Grunting, he leans in close to Casper. “Next time you try to invade our business, you’ll be  **_sorry_ ** ,” He and his gang stomp into the classroom, leaving Amata and Casper alone.

He heads towards it as well, but Amata stops him. “Hey,” He turns around. “Thanks.”

He smiles widely. “No problem,” The two enter together, talking and laughing without a care in the world.

Mr. Broth groans. “You two, get in your seats. You’re nearly late,” The two scurry off to their seats. “Now today is the day you’ve all been fearing. The G.O.A.T. is a standardized test designed to help vault students determine their career pathway. Now…” As Mr. Brotch lectures for what feels like a millennium, Casper feels something hit the back of his head. He turns around to see Butch crumbling up pieces of paper, aiming them right at Casper, and throwing them. “Mr. Deloria! May I remind you of our classroom expectations?” Butch huffs, looking away and putting his feet on the desk. Mr. Brotch, sighing in absolute misery, passes out small packets to each student. Casper stares at his, feeling the dread of failing flow through his body. He shakily picks up his pencil, opening the first page in the packet. “And remember, no pressure,” Mr. Brotch says sarcastically. Casper reads over the questions, making sure to fully comprehend each one before answering. He breezes through the test until he sees the last question. It reads: ‘ _ Who is indisputably the most important person in Vault 101: He who shelters us from the harshness of the atomic wasteland, and to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives? _ ’ And all the answer choices are the Overseer. He simply picks the second one and folds his packet closed. Pushing out his seat, he approaches Mr. Brotch, holding his booklet out to him. “Finished?” Casper nods. “Alright, let’s see,” He reads through every single question and checks the answers with an answer booklet next to him. He squints hard at the results. “Huh. Says here you’re slated to be a Pip-Boy programmer. Glad Stanley will finally have someone to talk to,” He places Casper’s packet on the other side of his desk. “Alright, you can head back to your room.”

“That’s it?”

“Well, seeing as though no one else is finished, there likely won’t be any class today,” He pinches his nose bridge. “Now just go before you give me a headache.”

Casper leaves the room, feeling all his stress float out of his body. He leans against a wall, feeling his neck for his pulse. Laughing, he stumbles down the hall to his room, excited to tell his father the news.


	2. Escape!

**October 12, 2277**

Sounds of an alarm system blare out through the halls of the vault. Faint screaming comes from deep inside the vault’s interior, but it’s silenced quickly. The room’s door opens up and a tall woman rushes in, searching the room thoroughly. She slides into the bedroom, notices the sleeping figure, and begins to shake him. “Casper! Cas, wake up!” The figure murmurs as he turns away from her. “Cas, come on! You have to wake up!” She begins to shake him more and more, desperately trying to wake him.

Slowly blinking, he turns over, shielding his eyes with his arm. “Amata?” He sits up, squinting long and hard at the woman. “What are you,” He stretches and yawns, extending his arms out far. “doing here?”

“We have to go, come on, get up,” She runs over to the closet and pulls a jumpsuit out from the collection of identical jumpsuits. Throwing it onto the bed, she turns around. “Get dressed, and quick. We have to get going.”

He tosses the bedsheet aside and slides on the jumpsuit, zipping the zipper in the middle up to the collar of his t-shirt. As he puts on his boots, he looks up to Amata’s worried face. “Everything all right?” Then he hears the alarms. “What’s going on?”

“Your dad…”

Standing up, he puts his hands on his hips. “What about my dad? Did something happen?”

Amata’s ear perks up when a sound of screaming echoes in the hallway. She runs to the door, peeking her head out. Moving her head back inside, she stares him dead in the eyes. “Your dad left the vault. H-he just left this morning and now the whole vault’s in a panic,” She begins fiddling with her hands, constantly looking outside the room. “And there’s more.”

Sighing, he ruffles his orange hair. “Let me guess, security’s after me? Or maybe radroaches invaded too?” Amata’s eyes shift from one side to another. “Oh, _come on_!” Casper throws his arms into the air, resting them on top of his head.

Trying to hush him, she keeps looking outside. “Look, all we have to do is find the exit, and then we can fix this.”

“Oh, _yeah_ ! _Totally_! We’ll just waltz up to the Overseer and ask him if we can leave!”

“Cas, I know you’re confused, but can you lay off the sarcasm for just a minute?” She fixes her hair, breathing in and out slowly. “My dad will understand if we talk to him, but he’s after you now; he sent security out to find you,” She shuffles around her belt and pulls out a 10mm pistol, handing it to Casper, holding it awkwardly by the barrel. She sighs and forces him to hold it properly. “You might need this.”

“I shouldn’t have to worry too bad; security _loves_ me!”

“Yeah, well, not right now, they don’t. All we have to do is get my father’s password, get by security, and make it to the entrance.”

She begins to leave, but Casper calls out, “Why _do_ you wanna leave so bad?”

Stopping in her tracks, she looks back and smiles. “Let’s just say, the outside world… has its benefits.” She runs out the room, closing the door behind her, which leaves Casper by himself with the gun. 

“Well _that’s_ vague.” He says to himself, spinning the gun around off his finger. He looks over to his desk, a photo of himself and his father sitting on top. A baseball bat sits against the closet side, small baseball-shaped marks spot the ‘wood.’ Looking over to the bedsheets, Casper takes them off the bed and ties them into a make-shift bag. “Alright, let’s see.” He takes several jumpsuits and shoved them into the bag, not even bothering to fold them. As well as that, he takes a few other miscellaneous items such as a comic book, a few metal scraps, a screwdriver, and a BB gun with a small amount of ammo. His eyes loom over the photo on the desk, primarily on his father, and he swipes that, placing it on top of the entire pile before tying the sack up. He holds the baseball bat in his right hand, keeping his grip tight. Slinging the sack of items over his shoulder, he rushes out the room, trying to find Amata, but there’s no sign of her. A vault security guard struggles with a small group of radroaches jumping around him, completely oblivious to Casper. “Uh.”

“ **You** !” He yells, his attention now on the small vault dweller. “This is all **your** fault!” He runs right at Casper, holding his police baton up and ready to attack. Casper dodges the attack, hitting the wall as a result. As the guard winds up another attack, Casper looks to his belt and the gun that’s attached. He takes it and tries to figure out how to cock it, and during this period of thinking, he’s hit in the jaw and thrown back. His eyes begin to fade and everything spins around his head, causing him to stagger towards the divider in the hallway. Blood begins to stream out of his mouth as he feels around his mandible. Casper feels around for the pistol and aims it at the guard, shooting him in the head. 

“ _Shit_ .” He whispers under his breath, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth and struggling to stand up. ‘ _Dad’s not gonna like hearing about this_ ,’ he thinks. Resting his body against the wall, he takes in the body of the guard he used to know, a man who used to respect him. He slowly pushes himself off the wall and runs down a different hallway.

As he runs, he spots a moving figure racing towards him. He stops in his tracks and watches as the figure doubles over. “Cas!”

“Butch? What’s wrong?”

“Ya didn’t hear? The vault’s going straight to hell!”

Shaking his head, Casper furrows his eyebrows. “No, I know _that_ , but what’s going on with _you_? Why are you running around?”

Butch points down the hallway towards his room, his eyes wide and full of fear. “It’s my mom! T-the things- they’re in there!”

“What? Radroaches?” Butch shakes his head rapidly, lowering his body. Looking around the greaser, Casper doesn’t see anything from that hallway. “You can’t take care of them?”

On the brink of crying, Butch replies with, “I-I can’t! They scare the shit out of me! You have to help her!” Casper shifts his weight from one foot to another, still staring down the hallway. Sighing, he nods with a smile. “You will? Oh, thank you, thank you!” Butch pulls him into a severely tight hug, which surprises Casper as he pats the greaser on the back.

“Alright, let’s get to it.” Ruffling his hair, Casper makes his way to the room, Butch following close behind. 

Inside the room, Butch’s mom sits in the corner, screaming bloody murder as a few radroaches dance around her. Casper walks in with a stern expression, Butch staying close to the door. Looking at them with disdain, Casper smashes each and every roach in the area, which makes her stop screaming. “There you go, Ms. Deloria. Hope that helped.” Once Casper leaves Ms. Deloria’s room, Butch pulls him into that tight hug again, devoiding Casper of his air supply.

“We did it! My mom’s gonna be okay!”

“You’re welcome.”

Pulling away, Butch still clings onto Casper’s arms tight. “Oh, thank you! You’re the best! The bestest! And as a token of my appreciation,” He takes off his leather jacket and hands it to him, confusing Casper. “You’re an honorary Tunnel Snake now!”

“Wow,” Folding it, he starts putting it away into his sack. “that’s quite the honor, Butch! I appreciate it, but you don’t have to give me anything; I would’ve done it anyway.”

“No way! Any roach-killer is a friend of Butch’s!” Casper begins to speak, but sounds of incoming guards bounce off the walls. Butch scoffs as he puts both his arms behind his back. “You better get running, _poindexter_.” Casper nods and begins to run around the corner, before turning back to see Butch waving him away. “Don’t worry, I got your back!” Smiling, Casper rounds the corner, escaping the guard’s sight.

“You! Deloria!” Butch turns to see the guard staring him down, repeatedly hitting the palm of his hand with the police baton. “Have you seen the doc’s kid? Overseer’s orders.”

Shaking his head, Butch raises his eyebrows. “No, sir. Didn’t see him anywhere.”

The guard leans in closer to the greaser, but Butch stays still and silent. “Alright… thank you anyways.” The guard turns around and runs off through the halls.

***

As he runs around a corner, Casper nearly slides across the floor, but he pushes off a wall and continues. His head begins to swirl and causes him to stagger up the stairs, losing his grip on the sack. He lifts his foot but misses the step, causing him to fall onto the stairs, and making him drop the sack. All the contents spill out down the stairs, Casper groaning is his response to the whole ordeal. He quickly runs down the stairs, swooping the contents back into the bag, except for the photo. The glass surrounding the photo had cracked as a result of the metal scraps hitting the glass when they tumbled down the mountain of stairs. The way the glass cracked unsettles Casper, as there’s a large crack over his father’s head, with tiny cracks streaming down from the main one, but they all stay around his father’s figure. ‘ _Well, that’s nice to see_ ,’ he thinks as he takes the picture out of the broken frame and shoves it into his suit’s pocket.

Up the stairs, Casper is nearly out of breath, but he still runs through the never-ending hallways of the vault. He spots people and immediately halts, taking refuge behind a wall. An unfamiliar voice says to his wife, “We’re getting out of here! Just like the doc!” He runs off towards the guard protected hallway. As soon as he enters the guard’s line of sight, he’s shot repeatedly.

“Tom! No!” The wife runs after him, but is shot as well. Poking out from his hiding spot, Casper heads the same way as the two of them, seeing the guard. He takes the baseball bat and rams it into the guard’s head, knocking him down cold. Breathing heavily, Casper takes a second before running into a different room. Sounds of someone banging on a window make Casper slow down to see a man standing behind one, yelling, “You! This is all your fault! You and your idiot father!” Casper shakes his head and continues, despite the man’s efforts at deterring him. 

The system’s room was always something that Casper wanted to explore, and he dreamed of one day being able to softhack the circuits of that one Mr. Handy that flew around the vault. But now, it’s a nightmare for the vault dweller. Radroaches scatter all over the floor, scaring Casper as he runs. He smashes a few, but just keeps running through the room without even stopping to admire the technology. The blinking red lights on the machinery gives Casper a bigger migraine than he already had. 

_‘Another long hallway… have they always been here?’_ Casper’s internal monologue is interrupted by a new sound; Amata’s voice yelps out from the Overseer’s room, and it sounds like she’s in trouble. Casper rushes down the hall, looking into the room with Amata. A guard stands close by her, his weapon drawn near her head. Casper, taking a deep breath, slides in and shoots the guard impulsively. “Casper!”

“Casper?” The Overseer asks, looking over to see Casper standing in the room now. Amata rushes out, not looking back to her father or Casper. “You have a lot of explaining to do, _Nole_.” He sneers his last name, almost as if the name alone left a bitter taste in his mouth. “First your father leaves, now you’re on some kind of rampage.”

“What were you doing to Amata?” Casper lowers his body, almost ready to pounce.

“We needed answers, but she would not budge. Protecting _you_ , no doubt.” Cocking his eyebrow, Casper stands straight up with a slight hunch. Raising his eyebrows, the Overseer looks over to him. “You of all people should know of your father’s reasoning for throwing the entire vault into utter chaos.” The Overseer steps closer, looming over Casper like a giant.

“I- I…” Casper takes a few steps backwards, looking for a way to escape the Overseer’s shadow. Suddenly, he remembers a part of Amata’s plan. “I need the password to your terminal. **Now** … sir.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, the Overseer stands back. “Do you _honestly_ think I would give _you_ such important information?” He points his finger in Casper’s face. “That’s the problem with you Noles; you take and take, but once you’re unsatisfied, you leave. I knew I shouldn’t have-” Before he can finish his sentence, a group of guards show up into the room. “Ah, guards! There you are! Take him away!” Switching from the Overseer and the guards, Casper stands frozen. Out of nowhere, he punches one of the guards down and jumps over him, running out of the room and down the hall. “Get him! He cannot escape!” The Overseer’s voice booms through the hallway.

Another hallway, and another pain in Casper’s head. He slides into a different room, closing the door behind him. Waiting, he stays absolutely quiet. He turns around to see that he’s now in his father’s room. There’s a slight smile on his face, but it disappears when he looks down to see the body of his father’s close friend, Jonas. Dried blood stains the corpse’s lab coat. Crouching down, Casper hesitates to touch the body, but he spots a holotape poking out from Jonas’ pocket. He slowly grabs it, making sure he doesn’t touch the body. There’s a component on his Pip-Boy for holotapes, and he figures now is a good time to use it. Sliding it in, a play button appears on the screen. He presses it and the sound of his father’s voice sends shivers down his spine. 

“Hold on, Jonas. I need to record this. Son, I… I don’t know how to explain this to you. I’m sure you’ll understand. I have been thinking about this for a long while now, but… for your safety, I decided not to tell you about it. There’s no telling what the Overseer would or has done since I left, but I know… that you will make it. I don’t want you to follow me; you need to stay in the vault where you’re safe and protected.”

Jonas’ voice makes Casper shudder on the ground. “Don’t mean to intrude, Doc, but we should really…”

“Right, of course. Casper, I am so very proud of you and I love you dearly.” The holotape ends with the sound of the vault door opening and static. There’s pure silence as Casper remains crouched on the ground, not budging to take the holotape out. Sniffling, he pulls out the holotape and stuffs it into his sack. He makes his way to the exit door, but a familiar voice calls out to him.

“Cas.” Amata places her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, for helping me. I’m… sorry about Jonas, I know he meant a lot to you.”

He takes a few deep breaths, closing his eyes. “It’s fine. Let’s… just get out of here.” She nods, walking behind him as the two of them enter the Overseer’s office.

Looking around, Casper clicks his tongue a few times. He spots a terminal and walks over to it, turning it on. The keyboard shifts down, allowing him to type anything he wanted into the computer, but the thing he wants to type is the correct password. “ _So_ ,” He drags out the word. “Any chance you know the password to your dad’s terminal?”

She shakes her head, examining the room thoroughly. “He never told me, said something about it being a ‘threat to the vault’s security.” She shuffles through a stack of papers and various other junk on the Overseer’s desk. She glances over to the pair of lockers and walks over to them. Opening them up, she spots a piece of paper and grabs it. “Got it!”

He looks up from the small piece of paper and list of possible passwords. “Really?” She hands him the note and leans over to see the screen. “Huh, it was _that_ easy? A man of _many_ secrets.” He types the password in, the screen pops with the message, ‘Welcome Overseer Almodovar!’ Casper rolls his eyes and presses the down key a few times to select the command to open up the Overseer’s tunnel. Once he presses the command, the desk begins to move and scares the life out of the two of them. Amata pulls him away from the terminal. Then, the desk moves out of the way to reveal a set of stairs and a door at the bottom.

“A tunnel?”

Casper raises his eyebrows. “We’re just finding out _so_ many secrets today!” He begins to descend, Amata hesitates before following him down.

Out the other side of the door, the two find themselves in _another_ hallway. “ _Great_ . You know, Amata. I never realized how many hallways we have in the vault until _now_.”

“I know right? Seems ridiculous.” A radroach guards the entrance, standing fierce and tall. Casper immediately stomps on it, scraping his boot against the floor. “That seems excessive, don’t you think?” He shrugs, snickering.

He pushes against the door, raising his eyebrows as he spots the vault’s door. “There it is!” She calls out, pointing to the door despite the fact that Casper can see. “We did it!”

“Yeah! Now, how do we open this bad boy up?” He looks out to the yellow control panel. Walking over, he examines the buttons and switches. Pressing a few buttons, he flips a switch, and pulls down the lever. There’s no reaction at first, and so he stands back and throws his hands in the air. “Welp, I did all I could-” The vault door creaks open, a deafening screech comes from the opening motion. The two cover their ears, Casper shutting his eyes tight as he grates his teeth. Once it’s finished, they stare out to the door at the end of the long tunnel, the light streaming in from the spaces in the boards taunts them. “Look at _that_ ! Natural sunlight!” He laughs, clapping his hands. “Oh man, I heard sunlight feels _super_ nice on your skin. You think we’d get a wicked tan?” He looks over to Amata for a response, but she doesn’t say anything. “Amata? You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just… I don’t think I can go with you.”

“But we came so far! A new, fresh life awaits out there!”

She huffs, glancing away. “I know, but my place is here.” Motioning towards the previous tunnel they came from, she avoids eye contact with Casper. “I need to protect everyone from my father, and I can’t do that if I leave.”

Casper sighs, adjusting his grip of his sack. “Yeah, I can understand that. Well… maybe we’ll see each other again out in the Wasteland.”

Before she can reply, two more guards burst into the room, pointing at Casper. “There!”

Amata gasps, turning to him. “Go, go! I’ll keep them busy!”

He nods, his mouth open slightly. Running through the vault door, he pushes himself to get to the end of the tunnel.

Pushing through the door, he falls onto the ground, sliding against the dust and dirt. The vault door closes, worrying Casper. He stands up, covering his eyes with his arm. “Wow.” Brushing the dust off his suit, he stuffs everything back into his sack and slings it over his shoulder again. He looks back to the door to the vault tunnel, a frown on his face. When he stares back to the large expanse, he’s filled with a sense of longing. “Alright,” He ruffles his hair and sighs. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”


	3. The Power of Atom

Walking down the hill, he has a bit of trouble with the rocks that scatter the ground. The sun is dangerously bright and causes Casper to sweat profusely, which confuses him. As he climbs down the treacherous hill, his foot is caught on a rock and he falls to the ground, rolling down the remainder of the hill. “Oh, God!” He yelps as he rolls, contracting many tiny scratches on his body. When he reaches the bottom, he groans, noticing little drops of blood on the dirt. He wipes his nose and discovers that it’s bleeding profusely. Pinching his nose, he keeps his head low to the ground, placing his arm up to his nostrils. The blood pools out and stains the bright blue of his jumpsuit, making him groan louder. He sits there for a little while, holding his arm tight to his face.

He removes his arm to see that it now looks like the aftermath of a crime scene. Looking at his reflection on his Pip-Boy screen, he sees his nose is covered in dried blood. “ _Great_.” Slowly, he stumbles to his feet, grabbing the spilled items and putting them back into the sack. As he dusts off his suit, he spots something off in the distance, a strange construct. He cocks his eyebrow, looking left to right, before walking towards it.

Small clouds of dust blow through the air, hitting Casper right in the face, making him cough and hack. He then spots a robot standing outside the building, and Casper immediately begins to run towards it. When he approaches it, he comes to a complete stop, examining the robot. ‘ _Is… it on_?’ He thinks, lowering his body to look right into the robot’s light on its head. Waving his hand in front of it, he furrows his eyebrows and leans closer.

“Welcome to Megaton.” Casper yelps, jumping back and almost falling backwards. “The bomb is perfectly safe. We promise.”

“Megaton?” He looks up, noticing how tall the metal wall stands. “Oh, well, that’s a _fun_ name.” Glancing back to the robot, he narrows his eyes, tapping its body. “What kinda robot _are_ you?”

“Thirsty partner? Try Moriarty’s.” Its sudden voice makes him jump again. “Coldest drinks in the Capital Wasteland.”

“Capital… Wasteland?” He takes a minute and peeks over to the desolate desert that is now known as the Capital Wasteland. “Oh, right. The apocalypse.” Suddenly, the gate begins to open slowly, the sound reminding him of the blast door of the vault, and he covers his ears tight. Once the gate fully opens, he sees a large door. Looking to the robot and back to the door, he decides to walk to it.

Inside, a small town greets the amazed vault dweller. Casper’s eyes go wide as he looks all around him at the little town built almost entirely out of metal scraps. But his eyes slowly drift to the large atomic bomb sitting in the middle of the town center, a man yelling on about… the power of the atom. Out of nowhere, a figure appears right in front of him, making him jump a bit. “You alright, son?” He asks, tipping his hat up. The figure looks down to see the number 101 on his collar. “I’ll be damned, you’re from that vault, Vault 101, ain’t ya? Ain’t see any of y’all in a long while.” Casper nods, standing completely still. He holds his hand out to Casper, smirking. Casper hesitantly takes his hand, shaking it slowly. “The name’s Lucas Simms, town sheriff… and mayor as well, I suppose.” Casper’s still silent, furrowing his eyebrows and sinking into his torso. “Ah, don’t worry, son. I don’t bite.”

“S-sorry, sir! I just left the vault. I’m Casper.”

“Sir? Ah, I like the sound of that. Just remember, Casper, this here is my town, and my people, and if you so much as _breathe_ wrong,” He leans in, narrowing his eyes. “I’ll fuckin’ end ya.” Casper gulps, sinking further down. “Ah, I’m just messing with ya, kid!” Simms lets out a raspy laugh, doubling down some.

Peeking around, Casper’s attention is on the atomic bomb again. “Um, Mr. Sheriff Simms, sir?” Simms looks up, still chuckling. “Why is there a bomb just… sitting there?”

“Hm? Oh, that thing? Ah, don’t worry about it; old thing hasn’t gone off… yet.”

“Why build a town around an atomic bomb though? Doesn’t that seem unsafe?”

“Megaton wasn’t built in a day, kid; it’s been growing for ages. Town was established by settlers who couldn’t get into the vault.” He looks back to the bomb as well, his eyes shifting to the ground. “Soon, those crazy folk calling themselves the _Children of Atom_ showed up and started worshiping it like some kinda god.”

Narrowing his eyes, Casper raises his eyebrows. “So _nobody’s_ worried it might go off one day?”

“Afraid not. Folk around here don’t seem to care as much anymore; the people think that it’ll stay dormant forever, but I _respectfully_ disagree.”

Pursing his lips, Casper smiles. “ _I_ could try disarming it.”

“Really? You would? Just… go easy on it. Things older than _me_.” Before Casper walks past him, Simms says, “And if you manage to disarm it, I’ll reward you well, boy.” Casper strides down the steep hill to the bomb, looking straight ahead and ignoring the various noises around him. An older man stands near the bomb, yelling on and on about a deity named Atom and his power. Shaking his head, Casper notices a loose panel on the bomb. Sifting through his sack, he pulls out a screwdriver and begins to open up the panel. An old man leaning on the railing and taking a long drag of his cigarette notices the vault dweller messing with the bomb, making him almost choke on the smoke. He looks over the railing, staring right at Casper and watching his every move. Casper, after opening the panel after what feels like forever, investigates the tangled mess of wires.

Taking the screwdriver, he sifts around and cuts a few of the wires, keeping track of the ones he cut by pressing one of the four top fingers onto his thumb, with the amount of taps corresponding with the number of wires cut.

After a good, long while of cutting wires, Casper wipes his forehead and shuts the panel gently. The old man from the railing scoffs, tapping his cigarette onto the railing and tossing it aside. Lucas Simms walks over, patting Casper on the back. “Well, I’ll be damned. Would ya look at _that_!” Chuckling, he tips his hat up. “You disarmed that damned thing! I knew you were good news!”

“Don’t mention it, Sheriff Simms.” Casper shrugs, putting the screwdriver back into his sack. “It was just simple logic and bomb disposal; seen this stuff before.”

“They had undetonated nuclear bombs in the vault?”

“Nah, just books. _Lots_ of books.” He smiles wide, remembering the large array of books he would find in the vault. “Used to study them instead of doing my school work.”

“Well, good thing we found such a qualified person for the job, eh?” Shuffling around in his pocket, Simms pulls out a key and hands it to Casper. He stares at it before looking up, his eyebrow cocked. “It’s a key, kid. There’s an abandoned building just up the hill over here,” He points up the hill and to the large building sitting right on the ledge. “And it’s _all_ yours.”

Casper, with his eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape, starts chuckling. “Oh, no, sir. I don’t think this is-”

“ _Nonsense_ , kid! You deserve it, and on top of _that_ ,” He also pulls out a small bag of bottle caps, plopping them into Casper’s hand. “A hundred caps, all for the hero.”

Casper examines the bottle caps, furrowing his eyebrows. “Thank you, sir! I deeply appreciate it.”

“Oh, and talk with Moira up in Craterside Supply for decorations.” Casper nods, walking towards his new home. “We appreciate it, Casper!”

As he walks up, he notices the old man from before, but he just dismisses it. Before he can put the key into the lock, the old man clears his throat, scaring Casper. “ _Christ_ , kid, don’t go psycho on me.”

“Oh, hello, sir-”

“Nah, nah, cut that shit out.” Casper does a double-take, cocking his eyebrow. “None of this _sir_ shit you got goin’ on. Saw what you did with that bomb down there.” Pulling out a cigarette, he lights it and takes a long drag of it. “Got a thing for wires, eh?” Casper nods, tightening his grip on his sack. “Good. I got a job for you.”

“What… kind of job?”

Stomping out his cigarette, he hacks. “Got a problem with that bastard Moriarty. Lil’ shit’s got me by the collar with my tab.” He cocks his eyebrow, smirking. “It would be a shame if his terminal… was _cleaned_.”

“You want me to wipe his terminal?” He nods, crossing his arms. Looking down, Casper peeks up. “What’s in it for me?”

“You want a kiss on the cheek? What do you think?” He puts one finger up and closes his eyes. “You do this for me, and I might do ya a favor in return.” Casper pauses, staring at the ground. He nods, giving him a small smile. “Good. Now get to it, vault asshole.” He shoos Casper away and stands there still, staring off to the disabled bomb in the center.

Casper stumbles on the metal flooring as he makes his way to Moriarty’s Saloon, and he spots an older woman standing by herself. “Excuse me, miss?” He asks, approaching her.

She turns around and smiles at him. “Oh, you’re the young man who disarmed the bomb!”

“Yeah, that’s me. But,” He points to the old man, now walking down the hill. “Who’s that?”

“Hm? Oh, him?” She sighs, gripping her head. “That’s Jericho. He guards the town when those wasteland rascals show up.”

Casper raises his eyebrows, thanking the woman before continuing on his path to Moriarty’s. He reaches a large building, and looking up, he notes that he has arrived. Pushing open the door, he’s greeted by a small racket. A man with patches of skin peeling off bangs on a static filled radio, grumbling and banging it more. A young woman takes a smoke and groans. “Give it up, Gob. Hitting the thing won’t fix it.”

He groans loudly, shutting the radio off. “ _Ugh_. Forget it. Guess we’re stuck with this Enclave crap.”

The woman cocks her eyebrow when she spots Casper standing around and inspecting the building. Leaning over to Gob, she whispers, “ _Psst_ , Gob, straighten up, hon. We got a new one.” She sultry walks by Casper, keeping her eyes forward. Furrowing his eyebrows, Casper shakes his head before noticing Gob.

Gob sinks down as Casper walks to him, keeping his eyes down. “Hey there, smoothskin. C-can I get you anything? A beer? Anything?”

“Hm, no thanks, sir. I’m just here for information.”

“Sir? You’re not gonna hit me?”

“No? Why would I do that?”

Gob smiles, wiping his forehead and sighing in relief. “Well, _that’s_ a surprise! I’m so used to every smoothskin around beating me senseless just ‘cause I’m a ghoul.”

Casper then notices Gob’s rotting skin, but he isn’t freaked out by it, rather he’s fascinated by it. “What’s a ghoul?”

Gob widens his eyes, leaning back a bit. “Never seen a ghoul before? Oh yeah, you’re from that vault, right?” Casper nods, smiling a tad. “You said you needed information?” Looking back and forth, Gob then leans in and whispers, “ _There’s a terminal in the back. It’s Moriarty’s. It might have the information you need._ ”

“ _Really? Just right back there?_ ” Casper smiles, adjusting his grip on the sack. “Thanks!”

“No problem, friend. Just don’t let Moriarty catch you, he’ll beat you into next year.” Footsteps come from another room, which sends Gob into a frenzy trying to find something to make it seem like he’s working.

An older man walks out, scoffing as he sees Gob scrubbing a clean glass. “Gob!” He yells in a thick Irish accent. Gob freezes up. “There was a… spill upstairs. Go clean it up!” Grumbling under his breath, Gob reaches for a mop behind the counter and trudges up the stairs. Glancing back to Casper, Moriarty bellows. “Ah well, look who walked in! The _savior of Megaton_. You should have a victory drink, it’ll cost ya though.” Casper keeps his distance, keeping one hand down close to his holstered pistol. Narrowing his eyes, Moriarty takes a good look at the startled vault dweller. “Ah, where are my manners? Colin Moriarty.”

Casper stares at the grimy hand, but reluctantly shakes it. “Casper Nole.”

“Wait, _Nole_?” Moriarty leans in close, examining Casper more. “Aye! You’re James’ boy! Aren’t you a persistent little bastard.”

The sheer mention of his father’s name sends Casper into hysterics. Gripping tightly onto Moriarty’s arm, Casper begs, “James?!” he shouts. “You know my dad?! Where is he?!”

Moriarty shoves Casper off, wiping his arm off excessively. “ _Shite, you’re just as strong as him, too_ ,” he whispers under his breath. “I know where your little daddy went-”

Casper leans forward again, tears slowly forming from the corners of his eyes. “Where?!”

“It’ll cost ya.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Casper grunts, stomping his foot. “What do you mean?! Can’t you just tell me??”

“Well,” He rolls his eyes, tapping his finger on the bar counter and eyeing Gob. “you see, lad, words cost time, and time costs money,” Casper picks at the skin around his fingernail and glances around the bar, causing Moriarty to groan. Pinching his nose bridge, he sneers, “One hundred caps. That’s the price for dear old dad’s whereabouts.”

“Wait, caps? Like bottle caps?” Tilting his head, Casper rummages around his bag, and he finds the caps from before.

“ _Christ_ , you vault babies don’t know anything? _Yes_ , lad, _bottle caps_. And a hundred of ‘em too.”

The small bag of caps appears under all the other junk in Casper’s sack. He pulls it out, gently placing it in Moriarty’s hands. “There. One hundred caps.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Now, tell me where my dad went,” He pauses and steps back a bit, gripping his wrist. “Please?”

Moriarty examines the bag, making sure no spot is forgotten about. Stuffing the bag into his pocket, he smirks. “Alright. Last I’ve heard from him, he was headin’ towards Galaxy News Radio,” Casper tilts his head, constantly scrunching up his fingers. Moriarty sighs, pinching his nose bridge. “It’s the radio station for the Capital Wasteland. _Christ_ , lad.”

“Where would I find it?”

“As soon as you enter DC, it’s right there,” He groans. “Damn Brotherhood is constantly guarding it. Find them, and they’ll show you where it is,” Casper grins wide and tries to say somewhat calm. “Now, are ya gonna buy something?” Casper shakes his head. “ ** _Incredible_**. Look, just don’t destroy my bar. I need to go lie down,” He marches up to his room, grumbling under his breath. The Vault Dweller looks around but only spots Gob, who gives him a thumbs up. Casper sneaks into Moriarty’s office, finding the terminal in the back. With a few simple clicks, he’s in. He scoursthe list of names, searching for a Jericho. When he sees it, it only takes a few more clicks to delete him from the tab. He quietly slides out of the room, heading for the door.

“See ya around, friend!” Gob calls out, still mopping the same spot for the past ten minutes.

Casper leaves the bar empty-handed. Dad has always told him not to drink, lest he end up like Butch’s mom. He types the name of the station into his Pip-Boy, and it tracks the location down. Smiling, Casper makes his way down the metallic ramps and stairs. As he reaches his house, he finds Jericho leaning over the railing, a burned out cigarette in his mouth. He slightly taps the old man’s shoulder. “Um, excuse me?”

Jericho turns around, furrowing his eyebrows. “Oh, it’s you. Did you delete the tab?” Casper nods, fiddling with his hands. “Good. Guess you’re not so bad after all. Listen, you need a hired gun, just say the word.”

“Thanks, Mr-” Jericho narrows his eyes. “Thanks, Jericho. I’ll keep that in mind,” He makes his way to his new home. Jericho returns back to his original position, but now he has a smile on his face.

Inside his house is a decent amount of furnishing. A pleasant couch, a kitchen with food, and a small bedroom. Casper smiles at the opportunity. He takes off his sack and places it next to the bed. Sitting down on it, he can feel how stiff it is. It’s better than the vault’s rock-solid bedding though, so he doesn’t mind. He unpacks the teddy bear. Staring at it, he notices the little details he’s never seen before; a small patch on the bottom of its arm, a button eye, and a small, sewn heart on its chest. He gives it a big whiff and lays down, holding the bear as close as he can. Even though his head is plagued with horrifying thoughts, the teddy bear soothes him to sleep.


	4. Galaxy News Radio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casper's first, but certainly not last, time in DC

WIP

**Author's Note:**

> MY SON CASPER ahhhhhhhhhh i've been wanting to write his story for so long :D


End file.
